A comparative study on the jade drilling technology of ancient Mesoamerican civilizations and prehistoric China

Abstract Through the examination of Olmec jade objects at the Dumbarton Oaks Museum and Maya jade artifacts from the Chichén Itzá site housed in the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, two categories of drilling techniques have been identified: practical and ritual. Practical drilling encompasses drilling positioning, sequential drilling for decoration and openwork. Ritual drilling imbues jade objects with symbolism related to breath and life. In Neolithic China, two systems of drilling techniques for jade processing have been reconstructed: axial rotary drilling and bearing rotary drilling.